Colorado Alliance News, in cooperation with the Defend Colorado Now Initiative and the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform, presented a rousing forum on Saturday afternoon, October 22, 2005, at the University of Denver's Boettcher Hall, entitled: The Colorado Illegal-Immigration Crisis: Colorado Solutions.
The forum was by every measure a great success, exceeding the expectations of its organizers. The 376 seating capacity of Boettcher Hall was exhausted, causing with some late-comers to be turned away by campus safety officers.
A group outside the hall protested against the theme of the forum. Forum organizers extended and opportunity to the protesting group's spokesperson, Gabrella Flores, of the American Friends Service Committee, to address the forum.
The forum focused on the negative impacts of illegal immigration. It featured several experts on illegal immigration, along with others who recounted their personal, often moving, experiences as victims of illegal immigration.
Enthusiastic support for the speakers was shown by almost continuous sustained applause. Congressman Tom Tancredo spoke in part about his concern of the disturbing trend of non-assimilation and retention of foreign allegiances, a concern shared by forum attendees, as demonstrated by their standing ovation.
The forum then focused on specific projects activists can work on:
The originally planned two-and-one-half-hour program, came to a close at three-hours, with Mike McGarry and Fred Elbel awarding a Proclamation of Excellence to Dr. William and Jan Herron for their tireless work on immigration reform in Colorado.
The event was videotaped for future reference. CAIRCO wishes to thank everyone who volunteered to help make the event a success. Thanks to Michael for audio services.
Waldo Benavidez, Director, Auroria Community Center, on the impact of massive illegal immigration on low-income communities.
Glen Colton and CAIRCO's Fort Collins affiliates on defeating a Fort Collins sanctuary city proposal.
Bob Copley: on the Minuteman Project and the impact of cheap foreign labor on American workers.
Rep. Bill Crane: Colorado state legislator and Minuteman participant, and Colorado impact.
Angela Dreiling: victim of Social Security card fraud.
Evelyn Elstrom: former school teacher, on the impact of forced multilingualism on our educational system.
Gabriella Flora, opening speaker, speaking for the position of open borders.
Terry Graham: victim of attack by an illegal alien at a First Data / Western Union open borders forum, speaking on her petitions asking the Governor to declare a state of emergency.
Juan Herrera and son Juan Herrera: American workers affected by illegal immigration.
Dr. William and Jan Herron: Defend Colorado Now initiative.
Greg Johnson: electrician effected by illegal immigration.
Kathy Redmond: opposing hidden costs of illegal immigration in referenda C and D opponent; personal experiences with attack and car theft by an illegal alien.
Jim Spence: former INS Senior Special Agent on the need to enforce our laws and deport illegal aliens.
Congressman Tom Tancredo: Chairman, the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus.
Carol, John and Julius Vizzi family: mother of son killed by illegal alien in traffic accident; Julius Vizzi on home mortgages to illegal aliens, John Vizzi on his project to focus on employers of illegal aliens.
Rep. Jim Welker: Colorado state legislator and Minuteman participant, on Colorado impact.
Frosty Wooldridge: author (Immigration's Unarmed Invasion), lecturer; speaking on our immigration crisis, including fiscal impact, hospital closures, and impact on education.
Mike McGarry: project organizer, CAIRCO spokesperson, and director of Colorado Alliance News.
Fred Elbel, CAIRCO director.
Estimates of the number of illegal aliens currently residing in the U.S. range from 10 to 20 million. Time magazine estimates that three-million illegal immigrants from all over the world now enter the U.S. annually (with an conservatively estimated 250,000 currently residing in Colorado), far outnumbering the 1.2 million legal immigrants entering the country annually. The U.S. admits more legal immigrants than all of the countries of the world admit, combined. Massive illegal immigration is an insult to America's generous immigration policy.
Polls show that 70-80 percent of the Americans, across racial, ethnic and class lines, want illegal immigration halted. But the U.S. government continues to fail in its First Obligation: the protection of its citizens. Instead, the President and members of the Congress are again foolishly offering as the solution to illegal immigration the tried-and-failed amnesty approach. Since the "one-time-only" massively fraudulent 1986 amnesty, we have had six additional amnesties, proving that amnesties only encourage more illegal immigration.
The proponents of the several amnesties now before the Congress falsely claim that there are only two alternatives to illegal immigration: mass deportation-an impossible concept-and yet another amnesty (number eight), referred to under several euphemistic terms such as "guest worker programs," "regularization," "earned legalization," etc. There is a third alternative, however: attrition.
Just as a stool needs four legs to support it, attrition provides a four-legged solution to illegal immigration. Those legs are: 1) increased border enforcement, 2) increased interior enforcement, 3) sanctions against felonious employers of illegal immigrants, and 4) through the ballot-initiative process, ending government-sponsored benefits and entitlements for illegal immigrants. As Gov. Lamm has noted, attrition will create self-deportation and help bring illegal immigration to manageable levels.
Because of the ongoing abdication on the part of the President, the Congress, the Gov. of Colorado and the state legislature, the responsibility for dealing with illegal immigration has now, by default, shifted to We the People.